Louisville finishes runner up in acc championship

Jared AndersonMay 27, 2018

Photo by Jared Anderson​

cards reach their first ever acc championship game

#25 Louisville fell to #10 Florida State 11-8 in 10 innings in the ACC Championship. The Cards, who were the 5-seed, upset 4-seed Duke and Wake Forest in pool play and Pittsburgh in the semifinals to reach their first ever ACC Championship game. Louisville moves to 43-17 on the year as they await their seeding in the NCAA Tournament.

Louisville and Florida State battled back-and-forth all game. The Seminoles raced out to an early 2-0 lead and then a 5-1 lead before the Cards rallied to take an 8-5 advantage. The Seminoles evened the score 8-8. Florida State took advantage of walks and a couple of hits to go up 11-8 in the 10th inning,

Devin Mann, Zach Britton, and Josh Stowers all homered in the game. Mann and Stowers both sent shots over the left field wall, which stands 32 ft tall, while Britton's soared over the fence in right center.

Defensively, Louisville was off. The score-book listed three errors, although one could argue there were more. Throws from the outfield were wild and pitchers' pick off moves sent balls rolling away to give up an extra base. UofL appeared mentally and physically tired in the field, most likely the wear and tear of playing their fourth game in five days in the North Carolina heat.

Bobby Miller got the start, but went to the dugout early after a sloppy start. The freshman gave up five runs in 2.1 innings along with four walks. Byran Hoeing came in and went 3.1 innings before four hits, three walks, and one run ended his day. Reid Detmers threw 2.0 innings, but also struggled to retire the Florida State batters and gave up two runs on three hits with one walk. Michael McAvene came in with two outs in the eighth and went into extra innings. He struck out three of the five outs he got. Shay Smiddy relieved McAvene but had little success in his 0.1 inning. Liam Jenkins is responsible for the final 0.1 inning, recording one out on one batter faced.

The NCAA Selection Show is Mnday, May 28, at noon. Louisville is expected to be a 2-seed and will travel for regional play.